On July 6, 2010, our beloved Piyush “Bobby” Jindal signed into effect the controversial “Guns in Churches” bill, which allows for the carrying of firearms into religious buildings.
Now, I understand how laws like this can come into effect.
Some maniac walks into a church, synagogue or mosque and mows his fellow men and women down in cold blood.
Because of the personal nature of religion in our society, the people cry out, and frequently to their local representatives.
I suspect politicians are generally unconcerned with our woes. Unemployment, high inflation and budget issues run rampant while our leaders take vacations and tour to promote their books.
Occasionally, an issue is brought to the limelight and becomes so prolific as to force a response from politicians, even if nothing practical can be done.
Shootings like the recent tragedy in Arizona have once again shown us how politicians respond to events like these.
Some of the most ridiculous laws proposals I’ve seen in some time came in response to this shooting. A proposition to make it illegal to carry a gun within 1,000 feet of certain politicians is both impractical and slightly ridiculous.
In order to be effective, you would have to show where every politician’s location is at all times, posing a much larger threat to their lives than before.
Now we move to Louisiana. Places like Bossier Parish are taking Jindal up on his offer.
The law requires would-be parishioners-turned-Rambo to take eight hours of training with local police before they can carry weapons into the home of the Prince of Peace.
So, in combination with the required training, some small fringe groups akin to those in Bossier churches have begun firing drills and basic martial arts training in order to be prepared for a would-be terrorist.
I’m deeply concerned about this trend.
First of all, I haven’t seen any evidence that a higher level of weaponry causes us to be more safe. Quite to the contrary, I would imagine if you made sure everyone had guns, many more fights would escalate to lethal levels. It’s the same reason why the world carefully monitors who has nuclear weapons.
The behavior isn’t new to Bossier, which infamously implemented “Operation Exodus,” arming civilians with everything from shotguns and riot shields up to a full “war wagon” mounted with a .50-caliber machine gun. It isn’t a new trend, and it most definitely isn’t healthy, and I would be extremely suspicious of any church training parishioners like the very people they plan to be preparing for.
Here’s the bottom line: If you think terrorists are more dangerous to your life than heart disease, you’ve been fooled.
Devin Graham is a 21-year-old business management senior from Prairieville. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_dgraham.
 
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Contact Devin Graham at [email protected].